The Routledge Companion to Global Photographies
Oxford: Routledge (2025), xxiii, 419 pp.
Contains many photographs, index
Series: Routledge Art History and Visual Studies Companions
ISBN 978-1-00-336832-8 (ebook); 978-1-04-011451-3 (pbk)
"In response to widespread demand for more knowledge and insight about contemporary photographies beyond Western centers of production and dissemination, this volume provides a transnational discussion, grounded in dialogue between authors and editors from diverse locations and contexts. Ecological and decolonial discourses around photography reveal the medium’s global entanglements: images produced on one side of the globe are the result of labors which span its full surface. At the same time, the multiplicity of approaches and understandings of the photograph reveal that, even though it might seem like a universal language, we utilize its tools to radically different ends. The volume explores issues surrounding cultural translation, photography’s response to climate change, decolonial practices, network formation, new materialities, identities and the role of photobooks. It also provides in-depth surveys and case studies of global practices and theories, alongside interviews and roundtable discussions with key figures whose perspectives illuminate the contemporary field." (Publisher description)
1 Introduction: Global Photographies and Questions of Cultural Translation / Lucy Soutter, 1
PART I: PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE ANTHROPOCENE: CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT / Edited by Jean Brundrit and Svea Josephy, 13
2 The View from the South / Anna Stielau, 15
3 Decolonizing Detritus: (Re)cycles of Extraction and (e-)Waste in the Photographs of Jean Claude Nsabimana / Svea Josephy, Jane Alexander and Jean Claude Nsabimana, 27
4 The Politics of Water: Social Justice and Photography in the Anthropocene in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa / Annabelle Wienand and Thobani K., 37
5 Antarctica, Ice, and Photography / Jean Brundrit, 48
6 A Dialogic View from the North / Helen Glanville, Richard Hodgkins, Marsha Meskimmon and Paul Wood, 57
PART II: DECOLONIAL PRACTICES: SPEAKING BACK TO THE CANON / Edited by Nina Mangalanayagam and Emese Mucsi, 65
7 Can We Use Photography Against Photography? An Interview with Rolando Vázquez Melken / Nina Mangalanayagam, Emese Mucsi, and Rolando Vázquez Melken, 67
8 Decolonial Strategies and the Southasian Imagination: Auto-narrative, Archival Responses and Counter-narratives / Tanvi Mishra, 78
9 What’s Class Got to Do With It?: Decoloniality, Spatiality, Class Struggle in the Photographs of The Evaton Peoples’ Archive / Nomusa Makhubu, 93
10 Tongue in Cheek: Julie Edel Hardenberg’s Visual Language / Louise Wolthers, 106
11 Localising Identity and Understanding Legacy: A New Generation of Hungarian Photographers Searches for the ‘Locus of Enunciation’ / Ágnes Básthy, 118
12 Archive In Situ: Emese Mucsi and Nina Mangalanayagam in conversation with Jennifer Bajorek / Jennifer Bajorek, Nina Mangalanayagam and Emese Mucsi, 131
PART III: GENDER AND QUEER THEORY IN PHOTOGRAPHY TODAY: IDENTITIES AND HISTORIES / Edited by Alejandra Niedermaier, 143
13 Visual Constellations: Narratives for Emancipated Subjectivities / Alejandra Niedermaier, 145
14 Expanded Sexual and Gender Identities in Contemporary Photography / Flora Dunster, 157
15 Visual Disruptions of Global Landscapes: Women Photographers Reframe Patriarchy / Selfa A. Chew-Melendez, 170
16 Gender in Curation and Exhibition Design / Sandra Nagel and Jonathan Lalloz, 179
17 Dissident Artists as Protagonists of Visibility Processes / Josefina Goñi Bacigalupi, 188
18 Poetic, Critical and Political Resonance: Report From a Roundtable Between Selfa A. Chew-Melendez, Flora Dunster, Josefina Goñi Bacigalupi, Sandra Nagel, Alejandra Niedermaier and Jonathan Lalloz / Moderated and introduced by Alejandra Niedermaier, 197
PART IV: NEW MATERIALITIES: EXPANDED PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY ART PHOTOGRAPHY / Edited by Duncan Wooldridge and Rashi Rajguru, 203
19 An Engine, Not a Camera: Curating Environmental Histories of Photography and Extraction / Boaz Levin, 205
20 Cut and Paste: Performing History, Materiality, and the Family Album in the Work of Lebohang Kganye / Svea Josephy and Lebohang Kganye, 217
21 Public Arrivals, Private Departure: The Life of Images at Chobi Mela and Photo Kathmandu / Veeranganakumari Solanki, 227
22 The Physical Lives of Images, Their Matter, Appearances and Disappearances in the Context of Beirut / Gregory Buchakjian, 238
23 The Stickiness of Images: Materiality and Attention in Contemporary European Photographies / Duncan Wooldridge, 249
24 The Archive of Unnamed Workers: Examining the Legacy of Colonial-Era Photography in AI / Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert and Alexia Achilleos, 261
25 Cai Dongdong’s Artistic Trajectory: From Conceptual Image Making to Photographic Installation / He Yining and Cai Dongdong, 273
PART V: FORMING COMMUNITIES: NETWORKS, PLATFORMS AND INSTITUTIONS / Edited by Camilo Páez Vanegas, 285
26 A Mapping of Photo Communities in Southeast Asia / Zhuang Wubin, 287
27 Photography and Trans-Africanism: A Story of Journeys / Emeka Okereke, 298
28 Collection and Educational Dissemination: A Case Study in Bogotá, Colombia / Camilo Páez Vanegas, 307
29 Towards A New Arts Ecosystem: PhotoIreland’s Strategy in Converging Communities Around Photography / Ángel Luis González Fernández, 319
30 Towards an Artisanal Intelligence: Reflections From the Academic Periphery in Latin America / Camilo Páez Vanegas, Anamaría Briede Westermeyer, Ana Casas Broda, Alexander Fattal and Gisela Volá, 329
PART VI: GLOBAL APPROACHES TO PHOTOBOOKS: FROM PRODUCTION TO DISTRIBUTION / Edited by Yinhua Chu and Zhuang Wubin, 343
31 The Expansion of the Photobook: From Traditional to Post-Digital / Yinhua Chu, 345
32 The Photobook as Shape Shifter in the Expanded Realm of Contemporary Photography: Examples from South Korea / Sunyoung Kim, 353
33 Transforming Perspectives: A Conversation with Yanyou Yuan Di, Pioneer of Chinese Contemporary Photographic Publishing / He Yining and Yanyou Yuan Di, 364
34 Toward a Publishing Model to Come: Japanese Photography and Its Histories / Ivan Vartanian, 375
35 Foto Féminas: Shaping the Narrative of Female Photographers from Latin America and the Caribbean / Verónica Sanchis Bencomo, 383
36 Curating Photobooks in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong: A Roundtable / Zhuang Wubin, Hà Đào, Kalen Wing Ki Lee, Jeffrey J C Lim and Kurniadi Widodo, 394
PART I: PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE ANTHROPOCENE: CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT / Edited by Jean Brundrit and Svea Josephy, 13
2 The View from the South / Anna Stielau, 15
3 Decolonizing Detritus: (Re)cycles of Extraction and (e-)Waste in the Photographs of Jean Claude Nsabimana / Svea Josephy, Jane Alexander and Jean Claude Nsabimana, 27
4 The Politics of Water: Social Justice and Photography in the Anthropocene in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa / Annabelle Wienand and Thobani K., 37
5 Antarctica, Ice, and Photography / Jean Brundrit, 48
6 A Dialogic View from the North / Helen Glanville, Richard Hodgkins, Marsha Meskimmon and Paul Wood, 57
PART II: DECOLONIAL PRACTICES: SPEAKING BACK TO THE CANON / Edited by Nina Mangalanayagam and Emese Mucsi, 65
7 Can We Use Photography Against Photography? An Interview with Rolando Vázquez Melken / Nina Mangalanayagam, Emese Mucsi, and Rolando Vázquez Melken, 67
8 Decolonial Strategies and the Southasian Imagination: Auto-narrative, Archival Responses and Counter-narratives / Tanvi Mishra, 78
9 What’s Class Got to Do With It?: Decoloniality, Spatiality, Class Struggle in the Photographs of The Evaton Peoples’ Archive / Nomusa Makhubu, 93
10 Tongue in Cheek: Julie Edel Hardenberg’s Visual Language / Louise Wolthers, 106
11 Localising Identity and Understanding Legacy: A New Generation of Hungarian Photographers Searches for the ‘Locus of Enunciation’ / Ágnes Básthy, 118
12 Archive In Situ: Emese Mucsi and Nina Mangalanayagam in conversation with Jennifer Bajorek / Jennifer Bajorek, Nina Mangalanayagam and Emese Mucsi, 131
PART III: GENDER AND QUEER THEORY IN PHOTOGRAPHY TODAY: IDENTITIES AND HISTORIES / Edited by Alejandra Niedermaier, 143
13 Visual Constellations: Narratives for Emancipated Subjectivities / Alejandra Niedermaier, 145
14 Expanded Sexual and Gender Identities in Contemporary Photography / Flora Dunster, 157
15 Visual Disruptions of Global Landscapes: Women Photographers Reframe Patriarchy / Selfa A. Chew-Melendez, 170
16 Gender in Curation and Exhibition Design / Sandra Nagel and Jonathan Lalloz, 179
17 Dissident Artists as Protagonists of Visibility Processes / Josefina Goñi Bacigalupi, 188
18 Poetic, Critical and Political Resonance: Report From a Roundtable Between Selfa A. Chew-Melendez, Flora Dunster, Josefina Goñi Bacigalupi, Sandra Nagel, Alejandra Niedermaier and Jonathan Lalloz / Moderated and introduced by Alejandra Niedermaier, 197
PART IV: NEW MATERIALITIES: EXPANDED PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY ART PHOTOGRAPHY / Edited by Duncan Wooldridge and Rashi Rajguru, 203
19 An Engine, Not a Camera: Curating Environmental Histories of Photography and Extraction / Boaz Levin, 205
20 Cut and Paste: Performing History, Materiality, and the Family Album in the Work of Lebohang Kganye / Svea Josephy and Lebohang Kganye, 217
21 Public Arrivals, Private Departure: The Life of Images at Chobi Mela and Photo Kathmandu / Veeranganakumari Solanki, 227
22 The Physical Lives of Images, Their Matter, Appearances and Disappearances in the Context of Beirut / Gregory Buchakjian, 238
23 The Stickiness of Images: Materiality and Attention in Contemporary European Photographies / Duncan Wooldridge, 249
24 The Archive of Unnamed Workers: Examining the Legacy of Colonial-Era Photography in AI / Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert and Alexia Achilleos, 261
25 Cai Dongdong’s Artistic Trajectory: From Conceptual Image Making to Photographic Installation / He Yining and Cai Dongdong, 273
PART V: FORMING COMMUNITIES: NETWORKS, PLATFORMS AND INSTITUTIONS / Edited by Camilo Páez Vanegas, 285
26 A Mapping of Photo Communities in Southeast Asia / Zhuang Wubin, 287
27 Photography and Trans-Africanism: A Story of Journeys / Emeka Okereke, 298
28 Collection and Educational Dissemination: A Case Study in Bogotá, Colombia / Camilo Páez Vanegas, 307
29 Towards A New Arts Ecosystem: PhotoIreland’s Strategy in Converging Communities Around Photography / Ángel Luis González Fernández, 319
30 Towards an Artisanal Intelligence: Reflections From the Academic Periphery in Latin America / Camilo Páez Vanegas, Anamaría Briede Westermeyer, Ana Casas Broda, Alexander Fattal and Gisela Volá, 329
PART VI: GLOBAL APPROACHES TO PHOTOBOOKS: FROM PRODUCTION TO DISTRIBUTION / Edited by Yinhua Chu and Zhuang Wubin, 343
31 The Expansion of the Photobook: From Traditional to Post-Digital / Yinhua Chu, 345
32 The Photobook as Shape Shifter in the Expanded Realm of Contemporary Photography: Examples from South Korea / Sunyoung Kim, 353
33 Transforming Perspectives: A Conversation with Yanyou Yuan Di, Pioneer of Chinese Contemporary Photographic Publishing / He Yining and Yanyou Yuan Di, 364
34 Toward a Publishing Model to Come: Japanese Photography and Its Histories / Ivan Vartanian, 375
35 Foto Féminas: Shaping the Narrative of Female Photographers from Latin America and the Caribbean / Verónica Sanchis Bencomo, 383
36 Curating Photobooks in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong: A Roundtable / Zhuang Wubin, Hà Đào, Kalen Wing Ki Lee, Jeffrey J C Lim and Kurniadi Widodo, 394
